School Meals and Food Distribution Programs Updates for the Week of 11/28

• Update: New Director Training Opportunity
• Update: Modifications to Accommodate Disabilities in School Meal Programs Training Tomorrow
• Update: Report SEFA to State Auditors by Wednesday!
• Update: Last Day to Get Your Plant Based School Meals Grant Application in is 12/6!
• Reminder: SCA Funds Webinar Recording Available
• Reminder: DES Master Contracts—Important Updates
• Reminder: Online Recipe Development Training Now Available
• FYI: New Milk Crediting Tip Sheet
• FDP Corner: Save the Date! Pre-Order Survey Webinars
• Important Dates to Remember

Update: New Director Training Opportunity

The OSPI School Meals Team is hosting the Institute of Child Nutrition’s (ICN) Introduction to School Nutrition Leadership (ISNL) training in February 2023.

This 30.5 hour training is for new and aspiring school nutrition program directors. Lessons provide an overview of school nutrition programs, define the role and responsibilities of a director, and review the relationship between local policies and State/Federal regulations.

Please fill out this short survey by Thursday, December 8 to let us know the best way to present this training!

Questions? Please reach out to Sam Brueske, Training and Communications Specialist. 

Update: Modifications to Accommodate Disabilities in School Meal Programs Training Tomorrow

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) invites you to participate in the Modifications to Accommodate Disabilities in School Meal Programs training!

Join the Webinar

This one-hour session clarifies general Civil Rights requirements regarding meal modifications in the School Program.

Register for the Modifications to Accommodate Disabilities in School Meal Programs webinar!*
Date: Tuesday, November 29
Time: 11 am–Noon PT

*Note: Select "WRO" as the regional office when registering.

Do you need an alternative format or accessibility tools to help you participate in this event? Automated Closed Captioning will be offered during this training. Participants who require different accessibility tools to participate should email Sheila Kopczynski by November 15 for assistance.

Update: Report SEFA to State Auditors by Wednesday!

The Accounting Manual for Public Schools requires all school districts receiving federal funds to report in a specific manner. This includes USDA federal grant expenditures on the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA).

State auditors use this information to determine which federal programs to audit. The SEFA is included in the audit report and must be complete and accurate. The district is not required to include the Federal Award Identification Number (FAIN) on the SEFA for USDA grants passed through OSPI Child Nutrition Services (CNS). However, CNS is required to provide the FAINs to public schools (2 CFR 200.332(a)).

For school fiscal year ending 8/31/2022 report the following Federal Award Identification Numbers (FAINs):

Seamless Summer Option Breakfast and Lunch Option must be reported under their appropriate CFDA numbers. The Washington Integrated Nutrition System (WINS) does not automatically separate reimbursements by SSO meal type. If you need resources to help calculate the separate reimbursements, please email Jeff Booth.

Please review the CNS Accounting Reporting Codes Reference Sheet for more details. 

Questions? Please email Jeff Booth, Audit and Financial Manager.

Update: Last Day to Get Your Plant Based School Meals Grant Application in is 12/6!

Grant Applications Must be in "Requested OSPI Approval" Status in iGrants to be Considered for an Award.  The Washington State Legislature provided $150,000 to support grant for schools seeking to implement more plant-based meal options in school year 2022–2023. These funds will be distributed as competitive grants up to $10,000 per school district to be spent during SY 2022–23.   Apply Today! Consider submitting your application in iGrants as soon as possible to assist CNS in approving your application so purchases can be finalized before the June 30, 2023, deadline. Plant Based School Meals Grant (Form Package 245) due by 4pm on Tuesday, December 6, 2022. Don't Forget This Important Step! Grant applications must be in "Requested OSPI Approval" status in iGrants to be considered for an award.    Who Can Apply? All K-12 schools, including public, charter, and tribal compact schools participating in the National School Lunch and/or School Breakfast Program in Washington state are eligible to apply. All districts interested in making more plant-based entrees, sides, and/or dairy alternatives available to students on their menu are encouraged to apply.   Application and Grant Funding Resources Plant Based School Meals Grant Reference Sheet Application Information Sheet  SY 22–23 CNS Grants Interest Webinar (note: this recording will be available in Zoom until December 6, 2022)     Why Serve Plant-Based School Meals? There are a variety of benefits to serving plant-based school meal options, including: Supporting Student Health: Well-planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Additionally, many students follow plant-based diets for a variety of reasons. Serving Culturally Appropriate Meals: Providing plant-based menu offerings can make school meals more accessible to children following halal, kosher, and other specific cultural dietary practices. Supporting Local Agriculture: Washington has a bounty of local farmers and food businesses that are growing and selling plant-based protein foods, like lentils and soy products.   Questions? Please email the CNS Grants team inbox.

Reminder: SCA Funds Webinar Recording Available

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released information regarding a third round of Supply Chain Assistance (SCA) funding.  View the Recording Now SCA funds must be used to buy domestic, unprocessed, or minimally processed food products for the school meal programs. During this webinar, panelists from across Washington State shared examples of working with local farmers, broadline distributors, and food hubs. View the Utilizing Supply Chain Assistance Funds webinar NOTE: This recording will be available until December 8, 2022. Questions? Please contact your OSPI CNS School Meals Program Specialist.

Reminder: DES Master Contracts—Important Updates

Master contracts from the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) for fresh bakery items and dairy products are now fully compliant with federal procurement regulations.

School Districts with a Master Contracts Usage Agreement (MCUA) can access the following contracts without conducting additional procurement activities:

• Contract #01520 –The Fresh Bakery contract is fully compliant with federal procurement regulations. Use this contract for items such as bread, rolls, muffins, hotdog and hamburger buns, wheat, whole grain, and white breads.
• Contract #02016 – The Fresh Dairy contract was recently amended to add required federal procurement language and is now fully compliant. Access this contract for fresh dairy products including milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt and buttermilk as examples. There are four dairies on this Master contract.
• Contract #02619 – The Fresh Fruits & Vegetables contract continues to be fully compliant with regulations.

Note: All other DES contracts are to be considered the same as third-party entities and only one quote source, per USDA Memo SP05, CACFP03, SFSP02-2017: Q&A: Purchasing Goods and Services Using Cooperative Agreements, Agents, and Third-Party Services.

Questions? Please email Barbara Krogstad, Procurement Specialist.

Reminder: Online Recipe Development Training Now Available

Standardized recipes are the gold standard for scratch cooking in Child Nutrition Programs. Learn more about recipe development and standardization in this new Moodle online learning module!

Designed with You in Mind!

With short video modules, it is easy to pick up and put down as the demands of the kitchen allow. Short video slides introduce topics such as the components of a standardized recipe and the recipe development process, while in-kitchen videos demonstrate these concepts in a real life setting.

Access the Training Now!

This new training can be found on the Recipe Development Training Moodle course. Please note: you must have a Moodle account to access this training.

This project was funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Team Nutrition Training Grant. Please send any feedback on this training module to Erica Lamson, Team Nutrition Grant Project Director.

Looking for Recipe Ideas?

Looking for some school meal recipe inspiration? Try these recipes developed by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, the Iowa Department of Education, and the Virginia Department of Education through the Fiscal Year 2021 Team Nutrition Training Grant.

FYI: New Milk Crediting Tip Sheet

This Crediting Milk in the Child Nutrition Programs Tip Sheet is a handy reference for Program operators across all Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs). This is a simple and easy-to-use resource that highlights the basics of crediting for the milk component. Previously released tip sheets: Crediting Fruits, Crediting Vegetables, and Crediting Meats/Meat Alternates Upcoming tip sheets: Stay tuned for the final three tip sheets in the series on the Grains meal component All are welcome to download these materials and make copies. Printed versions of the tip sheet series will be available at a later date.

FDP Corner: Save the Date! Pre-Order Survey Webinars

Each year, sponsors are asked to complete a Pre-Order Survey as part of their Food Distribution Program requirements. This survey informs OSPI Food Distribution of the volume and types of foods we need to order for the entire upcoming year. No USDA Foods Show This Year Typically, OSPI CNS and the Washington School Nutrition Association (WSNA) host a USDA Foods Show in early February as a kick off to the Pre-Order Survey. Due to logistical factors and short turnaround times for planning, we will not be hosting this event and in its place we will be hosting webinars discussing what you need to know about the Pre-Order Survey. Save the date for a USDA Foods Show in late January 2024!   Save the Date for Webinars As we kick off planning for School Year 2023–24, please plan to join us for two webinars. What is the Pre-Order Survey?  Join us as we discuss the importance of the Pre-Order Survey, how to plan for it, and placing your FDP Orders. Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2023 Time: 2–3 pm PT   SY 2023–24 Pre-Order Survey Prep Join us as we share and overview of dates, resources, and need to know details for filling out your SY 23–24 survey. Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2023 Time: 2–3 pm PT Please keep an eye out in upcoming newsletters for additional information.

Important Dates to Remember